Vidhie Mukerjea, a central witness in the high-profile Sheena Bora murder case, delivered an emotional and significant testimony in court on Wednesday. She claimed that Sheena was alive at least two days after the timeline established by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), identifying her voice in several audio clips played during the hearing. With a visibly shaken demeanor, Vidhie insisted that the voice in the recordings unmistakably belonged to Sheena, pointing to her distinct Assamese accent and the way she pronounced specific words. According to Vidhie, she had listened to these clips more than a hundred times to be certain, and each time she became more convinced it was indeed Sheena’s voice.
The audio recordings were conversations involving Rahul Mukerjea and Kishor Barman, a caretaker at the Guwahati residence of Indrani Mukerjea’s parents. In one of the exchanges, Barman asked Rahul about dropping Sheena off at Bandra, where she was allegedly picked up by Indrani and Sanjeev Khanna on April 24, 2012. At one point, a woman’s voice interrupted the conversation, saying, “Nana Nani will file a report,” which Vidhie strongly identified as Sheena’s. She described how Sheena often referred to her grandparents that way, which left no doubt in her mind.
Vidhie further testified that Rahul had openly admitted to her that he had dropped Sheena off to meet Indrani on the night of April 24 and later picked her up. She recalled Rahul telling her that “no one would ever know what happened to Sheena or where she went,” a statement that has added more layers of complexity to the case. Importantly, Vidhie claimed that Rahul confessed to being with Sheena on April 26, 2012, two full days after the CBI insists she was killed. This, according to her, made him the last person who was known to have been with Sheena.
Her testimony also included personal observations about Rahul’s troubling behavior at the time. She stated that he frequently used marijuana and hard drugs, which she overlooked because she felt he was undergoing emotional turmoil. Vidhie, then only 18, admitted she was struggling with her own trauma but tried to support Rahul as much as she could. She described her relationship with Sheena as one of deep love and sisterly affection, recalling how Sheena was always protective of her and clarified that Rahul had been sending offensive messages from her phone and email accounts, which did not reflect her own words or feelings.
The court also heard about family dynamics. Vidhie revealed that her biological father, Sanjeev Khanna, was known to Rahul and the other children, even though he never directly engaged with them. His photograph was kept in her room, making his identity clear. Discussions had also taken place about sending Vidhie to Kolkata International School to strengthen her paternal ties, before she was eventually moved to a UK boarding school in April 2012.
She strongly denied sending a message that the CBI considered crucial evidence, one that allegedly read, “Mom is very angry and wants to get rid of somebody.” According to her, this was fabricated. She further alleged that Sheena confided in her about being pressured into an engagement with Rahul, influenced by Rahul’s mother, Shabnam Anand Singh. Vidhie recalled incidents of aggression in Rahul’s behavior and even mentioned that Sheena was once hospitalized in Bengaluru following their conflicts.
During the cross-examination, she admitted that in the past, certain family members had “fed” her information, which influenced the interviews she gave to the media while promoting her book Devil’s Daughter. She also testified about a laptop belonging to Indrani Mukerjea that could have contained evidence proving Indrani’s innocence but was allegedly destroyed, though she refused to reveal who was responsible.
Her statements suggest that Indrani’s objection to Sheena’s relationship with Rahul was not simply about disapproval of the pairing but rather rooted in concerns over their drug use. Vidhie recalled Skype discussions between Peter and Indrani with Sanjeev Khanna about her education, as well as adjustments to Indrani’s travel schedule to accommodate meetings.
While much of her testimony was given openly, some sensitive portions were recorded in camera at her request. She concluded by stating she was no longer part of the Mukerjea family’s WhatsApp groups, though she had been included in 2015 when Rahul shared recordings of conversations related to Sheena’s disappearance.
Her explosive testimony has not only contradicted the CBI’s timeline but has also introduced new angles involving family dynamics, hidden evidence, and Rahul Mukerjea’s role in the case. The hearing is set to continue, with Peter Mukerjea’s lawyer, Manjula Rao, taking over her cross-examination after Indrani’s lawyer finished playing multiple recordings in court.
